30 Days of Biking - The Third 9

The benefits to cycling everyday started to pay off in this portion of 30 Days of Biking. I was able to tackle three 100 kilometre rides in a seven day span, two of them back to back.

Total distance: 567.7 km

Shortest ride: 20.6 km

Longest ride: 104.0 km

30 Days of Biking - The Second 9

The middle phase of 30 Days of Biking. I was definitely in the groove, feeling faster and more energetic while riding. Several shorter rides had me cover less distance than in the first nine days.

Total distance: 270.4 km
Shortest ride: 2.7 km
Longest ride: 72.1 km

30 Days of Biking - The First 9

The first nine days of 30 Days of Biking flew by. 

Total distance: 345.9 km

Shortest ride: 23.3 km

Longest ride: 55.0 km

30 Days of Biking - Day 1 - Inspiration

30 Days of  Biking is finally here!

Today I set off on the mission to ride my bike for thirty days in April, which I last managed to accomplish in 2013. This year I'm approaching from a different vantage point. I haven't been able to do as much riding this year, so this is the perfect opportunity to motivate myself to get on my bike more.

Participating in #30daysofbiking doesn't necessarily mean riding to work. It could just mean around the block, through the park ...
— 30 Days of Biking (@30daysofbiking) March 31, 2015

I usually ride my bike for three reasons. I'm training, I'm racing, or I'm riding to work. However, it doesn't have to be about any of those things because 30 Days of Biking is about just riding. Think about incorporating biking into your everyday life. So many things in our lives can be completed on a bike yet we often choose the easiest way, usually a car, to get things done. Plan ahead and anything is possible.

Some things I'm aiming to do by bicycle for this year's 30 Days of  Biking;

• Take my youngest to preschool by bike
• Go on a family ride
• Pick up groceries
• Meet a non-cycling friend for coffee

What can you do in your life by bicycle?

Not only can 30 Days of  Biking be a physical challenge, it can a bit of a mental challenge as well.

To help overcome the mental battle, there is one thing to keep in mind.  You really need to choose a bike that you love to ride so that you can enjoy your time cycling. If you like your bike, you are more likely to choose to ride it. It doesn't matter what type of bike you ride - mountain bike, road bike, old, new, light, or heavy. You need a bike that you can ride and most importantly one you will ride.

A bike you enjoy riding will help you get through 30 Days of  Biking. Good luck!

2014 Cycling Goals

I'll be racing for Daryl-Evans Racing in Category 4 in 2014. This is now my second year racing with a UCI license so I'm setting some personal goals for the upcoming season.

1) BC SuperWeek 

In my opinion this is the top level of amateur racing in BC, and will be the main focus me in 2014. 

Goal: Top 10 in Delta, UBC, and White Rock 

2) Barry's Roubaix

I love this race. It has quickly become my favourite in my short cycling career.

Goal: Top 5 

3) Race the Ridge

Road race, time trial, and criterium.

Goal: Top 10 general classification

4) Spring Series

In previous years I've had trouble attending races due to my work schedule. I'd like to increase my participation and use these to build up for Barry's Roubaix and Race the Ridge

Goal: Participate in 5 races, finish in front group.

5) World Tuesday Night Championships

I haven't raced a lot of crits in the past. I'm going to try and change that for 2014.

Goal: Participate in 7-10 races.

Cyclocross is a fun activity in to fill in some free weekends in the fall. It's never been a major focus for me. I would like to try and race more than three races in the season.

Goal: Participate in 7-10 races. 

Aiming for Progress in 2013

I have decided to take a more structured approach to my cycling in 2013. When I bought my first road bike and started racing two years ago, I never really put applied any sort of plan to my preparation  Although I was consistently riding my bike to work and doing random interval sessions, I knew I could do better.

I'm planning on leaving the citizen class behind and moving on up, so I think I need to focus on these four things;

• eat a healthier diet
• commit to a preseason training plan
• attend more races
• join a cycling club or team

Eat a Healthier Diet

In the past I used cycling as an excuse for eating excessive. I knew I could eat or drink pretty much anything because of the amount of calories I would burn while cycling. Needless to say that isn't the way to improve.

My wife randomly picked up some Vega One samples and a couple coupons at Douglas College in the fall. We both really enjoyed the products and decide to do some more research on vegan principles and plant-based nutrition.

I signed up for Thrive Forward, an online program to help me learn more about plant-based nutrition. It starts very basics and I have started using some of the things I learned already. I've lost some weight and generally feel better. I don't really crave all the unhealthy things I was eating before.

It seems unlikely I will switch to a complete plant-based diet, but I'm willing to keep an open mind and continue experimenting.

Commit to a Preseason Training Plan

My training has been relatively haphazard so far. I've experimented with different things and read a lot of information, but haven't really put a lot of it into practice.

I found the skeleton of a training plan on the internet that is flexible enough to work with my work schedule and family life. While it's not perfect and probably not the best, I race bikes for a hobby and personal enjoyment. I have to face the fact I'm far too old to become the next Ryder Hesjedal.

This is what my week of training will look like. I can only squeeze in about 7 - 10 hours of training time each week and this plan seems to work for a number of reasons. I work a graveyard shift Monday, from midnight to 8:00am. Generally I feel terrible, so its a good day to take off. I enjoyed the boot camp class I took before Christmas so I signed up again. It can't hurt to continue work on my core strength. Two interval sessions each week should help with my racing ability. Saturday and Sunday I work during the day, so I can squeeze in some longer rides to and from work to build my endurance. 

Hopefully this will give me a good starting point for when racing starts in the spring.

Attend More Races

This is a bit of a challenge. Most races are held on weekends, which I normally work unless I'm on holidays. I do want to try to attend some of the weekday criterium races. I have Tuesday and Wednesday off work, so there isn't really any excuses not to try and attend these. Maybe not every single one, but I could start with a couple per month.

The World Tuesday Night Championships at UBC is very popular, although pretty far from home. In the past races were held on Wednesday evenings at Mission Raceway. Hopefully those will be back for 2013.

Join a Cycling Club or Team

This could prove nearly as challenging as attending more races. My work schedule prevents me from participating in many of the group rides clubs and teams offer. It would seem strange to join a club or team and never participate in any activities.

I would like to find something local, with others interested in racing, and maybe with weeknight activities. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know.

I'm hoping I can improve my cycling in 2013 and have more fun and maybe even post some good results.